Updated June 28, 2020, 7:15 p.m.
At the finals of the local elections in France, a heavy slump for the central camp of President Emmanuel Macron is emerging.
The presidential party La République en Marche (LREM) may fail with its original plan to conquer Paris and cause surprises in other cities. Just three years ago, the young party had won the majority of seats in the National Assembly from scratch.
Instead, Greens and allies from the left-wing camp faced successes in Lyon, Toulouse or Tours. So far, Grenoble is the only large city with a green mayor. The emblematic capital is likely to remain in the hands of socialist incumbent Anne Hidalgo and her allies. Paris plans the Olympic Games in 2024.
Elections should have been held in late March
The run-off elections were actually scheduled for late March, but had to be postponed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In the first round in mid-March, well over half of the voters did not vote. Voter turnout was 34.67 percent on Sunday afternoon, which is around 18 points less than in the 2014 vote, according to the Interior Ministry.
Macron and his wife Brigitte chose Le Touquet in the northern French seaside resort, as TV pictures showed. After the elections, the 42-year-old wants to decide on his political course after the coronavirus pandemic, the France hit hard with around 30,000 dead. A government reshuffle is possible – speculation has been going on for weeks whether Prime Minister Edouard Philippe can continue or not. According to surveys, he is significantly more popular than the president. Philippe competed in Le Havre and was the favorite in the port city.
Mask requirement in polling stations
Macron meanwhile focuses on big politics – on Friday he held a video conference with his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin, and on Monday he is expected to visit Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) in the Brandenburg town of Meseberg.
Masks were mandatory in the polling stations. The run-off elections affected almost 5,000 municipalities, including the country’s largest cities. A good 16 million voters were called – this corresponds to about a third of those eligible to vote. The last polling stations should close at 8:00 p.m. (dpa / fra)
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